I am setting up a 38 FOWLR tank. It is running now with my emperor 280 filter but no fish or anything cycling has happened yet so no problem to swap filters.

I also have 2 aquaclear 300's or a brand new bio wheel 330.

Which of these filters would you use? If I recall I think I had the emperor 280 and an aquaclear 300 on this time a few years back when it was salt water. Should I do it again? Or will one of these filters work alone?

the emperor will do okay for you. You may want to consider removing the biowheels as they have a tendency for causing high nitrates. 60-80lbs of LR and a good skimmer will really be all the filter you need.

__________________
Some people are like slinkies...they serve no real purpose yet can still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs!:p
Have a great day! Brian

definitely skip the bio wheels...but I too wouldn't go the HOB route. Get 1-2lbs of live rock per gallon of water, and 2 powerheads that'll give you at least 10 times per hour turn over. I'd recommend 2 maxi-jet 1200's.

__________________Former advisor and planted tank geek...life's moved on though.

the filter media colects detritus and that will lead to high nitrates as it breaks down.. You can use it succesfully but need to keep the filter media cleaned to keep the detritus buildup low. I currently use a HOB canister filter but plan on removing it soon(once my new closed loop is setup).

I do not know how much live rock I will end up with in this tank. Maybe 40lbs tops. And that is pushing it. I am definetly on a budget. I am a full time student going to work part time so you know how that is. Plus I have a GSX-R payment soon

If you remove the media why have the filter at all. I would just get the LR and not use the HOB filter setup. Ideal amount of rock for biological filtration is 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon. You can get a bunch of base rock and then some LR to seed it. Go to www.liverocks.com and get a mix of base rock and keys/gulf rock. Even with shipping the rock from them is cheaper than I can find around here.

Liverocks.com is cheaper. I plan on ordering some I just haven't been able to yet. I was going to order some last week but ended up order a xe270hr camshaft for my car. Now I need some cylinder heads.....Between my car, my guns, fish tanks, and mountain biking it is no wonder I don't have any money.